From An Idea To A Panel...It Turned Out Great!

A few months ago I had a conversation with my brother about video games--the early days. He worked for several video game developers as an artist. Back then (early 1990s...) was a tough time to be in the business. I'm sure it's tough now, too, but back then it was long hours and hard work.

But he told me about some of the cool experiences he had like going to Steven Spielberg's office and working with the man who designed the X-Fighter for Star Wars. That's when I thought it would be a great idea to get him and some of those who worked with him back in the day and put them on a panel at Salt Lake Comic Con. I suggested it to my friend, Blake. He thought it was a great idea, too.

Tonight that idea became a reality and we put it on. If you were there, you know how great it was. I was fortunate enough to moderate the panel. These guys really knew their stuff. They didn't sugarcoat how difficult it was at times making video games back then and how tough it can be today. But they also said why they love it and why it's important.

I want to thank Rich Reagan, Hal Rushton, Peter Ward, and Alan Taylor for coming and spending time with the fans. And Blake and Ryan, thanks for giving us the stage.

Video Game Design Pioneers...A FanX 2016 Panel You'll Love!

I've been on a lot of panels over the past couple of years, and attended even more. But next Thursday at 7pm in panel room 150G, I'm going to be part of a panel with some amazing people. They're early video game pioneers. 

In the early 1990s, I worked for a Macintosh software developer. It folded after a couple of years later, but many of those people continued working in the computer business. And some of them went into video games. Salt Lake City and Utah was home to several start-ups. Some, are still around.

The panelists have worked on so many games. These are only a few of them. 

If you're going to this year's Salt Lake Comic Con FanX next week, PLEASE come hear Rich Reagan, Hal Rushton, Peter Ward, and my brother Alan Taylor talk about how things were when we lived in a 16-bit world.